1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an automatic apparatus and method for reducing or eliminating entrapped gases from fluids, in particular for substantially reducing or eliminating entrapped carbon dioxide in samples of carbonated liquids.
2. Background Information
In the carbonated beverages industry, product is periodically tested to assure consistent product quality. Quality control testing is often conducted in a laboratory at or near the product manufacturing location. One problem laboratory personnel face is that it is difficult to test a beverage or other liquid which contains entrapped gasses. This is because gasses can interfere with the standardized laboratory tests to be conducted. Therefore, the gas must first be driven off so that testing can proceed on product samples which have been substantially degassed. This is also true for other industries which must test gas-containing fluids. In the carbonated beverages industry, for example, carbon dioxide in a sample must be substantially reduced before quality control testing of carbonated beverages can proceed. Traditional methods for degassing include repeatedly pouring the carbonated beverage between two containers to drive off the gas. Another conventional method is agitation of the sample in an industrial blender, which ordinarily takes about 10 or 15 minutes.
The apparatus of the present invention provides a fast, accurate, and sanitary means of extracting carbon dioxide or other gases from beverages and other fluids. In the present invention, gas is driven off quickly from a beverage sample by a combination of vacuum and agitation, which are applied at approximately the same time. A beaker containing a sample is easily placed into and then removed from the vacuum chamber, so a series of samples can be degassed in a relatively short period of time. If the sample was instead placed in a single test vessel, the test vessel would have to be cleaned between tests. Degassing under a controlled set of conditions is necessary for holding test variables constant in order for subsequent testing to be accurate. The present apparatus and method allow a series of test samples to be degassed, all under the same vacuum and agitation conditions and for the same length of time. Consistent results can therefore be obtained using the present invention, even when different laboratory technicians are doing the testing.
The present apparatus (or instrument) substantially reduces the levels of carbon dioxide or other gas in a fluid. The apparatus comprises:
a) a microprocessor for controlling timing sequences; PA1 b) means for mechanically agitating the fluid; and PA1 c) mechanism for pulling a vacuum over the fluid.
Advantages of a beverage decarbonator according to the present invention over conventional devices and methods for decarbonation include: 1) controlled conditions and consistent repeatability between tests, 2) the standard deviation of carbon dioxide content between samples is reduced, 3) savings in labor of laboratory and plant personnel, and 4) decreased amount of down time because samples are degassed within a few minutes.
To use the preferred instrument of the present invention, a sample of the carbonated beverage to be tested is measured into a 500 milliliter beaker, a standard sized magnetic stir bar is added to the beaker, and the beaker is placed in the vacuum chamber of the instrument. The user turns a dial on the face of the instrument to select a program. Preferably, the user chooses "normal" or "titratable acidity" using this first dial, depending upon which tests will be conducted with the sample. The user then turns a second dial to "on" to initiate operation of the apparatus. Agitation begins as a vacuum is pulled in a vacuum chamber. After approximately one to two minutes, the beverage sample has been degassed and the sample can be further tested.